







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Come on dear, I know you want me to! | |
| Did you say Russia? That's unusual! | |
| Umm, Dick is here, dear, he is the landlord... | |
| Is it the one with the blue tongue? | |
| Are you going to say sorry for saying I am stupid then? | |
| Maybe I know your friend. | |
| Hello, I'm very sorry dear, I'm a bit late. | |
| It's very difficult to talk to you on the phone right now. | |
| Is there a problem with your phone battery? | |
| Do you have their number? | |
| Yes, the guy with the beard is Mike. | |
| But that's true, some Chows are a bit aggressive. | |
| Yeah, do you mean tricycles? | |
| Yeah, I want to see the bathroom... | |
| It's hard to believe, but we have a pressure cooker in the house. | |
| That's not nice, Mike! | |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | |
| Oh god, it's the second thing I hate doing in the kitchen! | |
| Her name is Ayumi! | |
| Don't you think it's too far away from the tube station? | |